


Radioactive

by mikaelac96



Series: The Ellie Stark Saga [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-05-07 01:14:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5438036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikaelac96/pseuds/mikaelac96
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellie never knew that her dad would get taken by terrorists. She didn't know that Tony would come back and decide to throw his life on the line, either, building one last weapon to protect himself and his daughter. But she knows one thing for sure:<br/>She is NOT going to let her idiot father do it all by himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_The little girl with wide brown eyes was wriggling in her seat. Her mother turned to her, and the little girl bit her lip, shooting a glance at her mom, who rolled her eyes. Then she smiled fondly, pointing to the back of the plane._

_“The bathroom’s back there, sweetie.”_

_“I don’t have to go.” The mother raised her eyebrows, as the little girl continued to wiggle._

_“You’re potty dancing.”_

_“No I’m not.” The little girl said with more determination, a set look in her eyes. She was stubborn, like both of her parents. It drove her mother nuts._

_“Ellie, go to the bathroom, or I’m taking away the Tamagotchi.” The little girl’s eyes went wide in fear, and she jumped out of her seat, waddling her way to the bathroom at the back of the plane. Her mother watched her go in, and smiled fondly, turning back around to get a look at the little toy on her daughter’s backpack. She had no idea what it was, and she frowned, a crease forming in her brow as she tried to figure out what, exactly, you were supposed to do with a Tamagotchi._

_She’d just figured out how to feed the pet when she was thrown from her seat due to the missile shot at the plane. She screamed for her daughter, but then another missile hit her side of the plane._

 

* * *

 

The little girl, Ellie, woke up in a gurney for just a second before she passed out again. The hospital she was airlifted to gathered the information they needed from the passenger database the airport provided for them, and called her next of kin, but it took a while before they could get a hold of them. They had to go through his assistant, Pepper Potts. When she heard Ellie’s story, she ran down to Tony’s workshop and handed him the phone, ordering him to listen to what the nurse had to say.

Tony Stark knew that his exploits could always lead to this one day. But when he asked who the mother was, and where she was, his calm and normally insane self went completely silent. His eyes went as wide as Pepper had ever seen, and he listened to the nurse as she explained what had happened to the little girl. He took a moment, before he stood up, staring at the floor.

“We’ll be there in an hour. I want to see her when I get there.” The nurse agreed, and he hung up the phone, ignoring the concerned look Pepper was giving him. “Can you, um, go and get the jet ready.” She hesitated, but took the phone as he held it out to her. “I just need a second.” She nodded, and headed back up the stairs, already calling the pilot.

He sat down in his lab stool, and rubbed his face. He took a deep breath. And then he screamed.

 

* * *

 

Tony watched her for a while when he got there. She was asleep, and the doctor informed Tony about her condition, explaining to him that she’d have to meet with a child psychologist for a couple of weeks, or until the psychologist declared that she wouldn’t need anymore treatment. Tony was paying far more attention than he would if a doctor was saying that to him about himself, which stunned Pepper, who stood off to the side and was looking between Tony and the little girl, looking for the Tony in her. She wanted to make sure that he wasn’t being lied to. She didn’t want him to get hurt. She’d only been working for him for a few months, but she cared for her boss. He wasn’t the greatest person in the world, but he most certainly wasn’t the worst in her eyes.

The doctor told Tony that the little girl would most likely wake up soon, so he had to decide right there whether he wanted to know her or not. Pepper stepped in, insisting on a blood test, but Tony shot that down. Pepper frowned at him in confusion, but he shook his head.

“She looks like the perfect combination of us both. I know she’s my daughter, Pepper, just look at her.” It was like she heard Tony say that through the wall. Her face scrunched up in a moment of pain, and she blinked open her eyes. She looked out the window, and when she met Tony’s eyes, Pepper was taken aback.

She had his eyes. Those big, round brown orbs. Hers, of course, looked far more doe like. In fact, in that moment, she looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Tony walked through the door after staring at her for a moment, and shut the door behind him, standing by it. Pepper watched from the window for a moment, but when the little girl look at her with scared eyes, she turned to the doctor and discussed the situation with him.

Tony smiled at the little girl in what was meant to be a friendly manner. She still looked at him in shock, however. Her face had lost the color it held when she was asleep.

“You’re Tony Stark.” He nodded, pointing a finger at her, taking that as his cue to approach her bedside.

“And you’re Elizibeth. Right?”

“Ellie.” Tony paused, and looked at her face, but it was clear that she was an Ellie. Her correction was completely necessary.

“Ellie.” He repeated, and smiled at the sound of it. “That sounds about right.”

“What are you doing here, Mister Stark?” She asked curiously, frowning as she looked back at the window. “Where’s my mom?” Tony’s facade faltered when she asked that, and he cleared his throat.

“I guess now is as great a time as any.” The doctor would have protested, but Tony went ahead and said it. Ripped it off like a bandaid. “Ellie, the plane you were in crashed. Your mom didn’t make it.” Her eyes went even wider, and he let out a breath, rubbing his knees. She blinked, and then her face scrunched up as tears filled her eyes.

“My mom’s…” He grabbed her hand, and she frowned at him. “But...but she was just here.”

“I know, kid. I know.” She started to cry, and he felt even worse, sitting on the edge of her bed, and hugging her. He cradled her head, like it was the most natural thing in the world, when all of this just felt like the oddest thing to ever happen to him. “You're going to be all right, Ellie."

"But I want my mom." He shut his eyes at that, his heart breaking a bit at that plea.

"So do I." She cried even harder, and he shushed her, setting his chin on her head. “But you know what? You’re gonna come live with me. And I know that I’m not your mom, but I’d like to be-” He cut himself off, and she was still crying, but now it was less. She was confused, obviously. She was only a kid. He swallowed, and pulled away, holding her by the shoulders so that she wasn’t uncomfortable. “Did your mom ever tell you anything about your dad, Ellie?” She frowned at him, even more confused. She paused, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. He gave her a second, before she answered him hesitantly.

“She told me that...that he was too busy to be my dad. That he had too much work to do, but he was very smart, so he had to keep working.” Tony smiled in slight anger, and slight amusement at what her mother had told her. It was typical of his old friend to talk about him in such a shitty way.

“Well, she wasn’t wrong.” Ellie’s eyes were rimmed red now. Tony resisted the urge to wipe her tears away, instead letting go of her, and inching a little further away to give her space before he said this. He didn’t know what she would think, but he figured space was the best bet he could make in that moment. “I am a very busy man.” Her eyes went wide again, and he swallowed, as the smile dropped from his face. He held out a hand for her to shake, as he introduced himself. “Hey there, Ellie. I’m Tony Stark...and I’m your dad.”


	2. Chapter 2

I clapped with the rest of the crowd, wriggling in my seat. I hated having to dress up. The man wasn't even here to accept his own damn award, why did I have to be here?

"Tony Stark. Visionary. Genius. American Patriot. Father. Even from an early age, the son of legendary weapons developer Howard Stark quickly stole the spotlight with his brilliant and unique mind. At age four, he built his first circuit board. At age six, his first engine. And at 17, he graduated summa cum laude from MIT. Then, the passing of a titan. Howard Stark's lifelong friend and ally, Obadiah Stane, steps in to help fill the gap left by the legendary founder, until, at age 21, the prodigal son returns and is anointed the new CEO of Stark Industries. With the keys to the kingdom, Tony ushers in a new era for his father's legacy, creating smarter weapons, advanced robotics, satellite targeting. Today, Tony Stark has changed the face of the weapons industry by ensuring freedom and protecting America and her interests around the globe." As the video ended, the crowd clapped again. I sat up in my seat when Obie shot me a look, pulling up my dress, and clapped along with them. I looked up, as Rhodey stood at the podium, sharing a smile with me.

"As the liaison to Stark Industries, I've had the unique privilege of serving with a real patriot." I bit my lip, resisting the urge to scoff. This is why I hated attending these things. At least when I was at home or anywhere else, I could laugh when I wanted to. "He is my friend and he is my great mentor. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present this year's Apogee Award to Mister Tony Stark." The people all clapped again. Rhodey looked for Dad everywhere. I rolled my eyes, waving a hand when Obadiah went to stand up. I went up to the podium, taking the award from Rhodey who rolled his eyes with me, going off to find him. I turned to the crowd, forcing a smile on my face.

"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, my father couldn't make it this evening and has asked me to accept his award for him. He sends his apologies and thanks." I smiled at the crowd apologetically. "This is really wonderful, though, thank you. I couldn't be any prouder of my dad even if I tried. I'm sure that wherever he is, he's bragging about this award to anyone he sees. He does it to me all the time." The crowd laughed. I smiled again. "Thank you." I held up the award, as the crowd applauded. I walked off stage, taking a seat next to Obadiah, turning to him. "Alright, I'm out of here. I have a graduation to get to tomorrow. And you'll make absolutely sure he-"

"Yes, Ellie. Pepper, Rhodey and I will make sure he gets there. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I nodded.

"Thanks, Obie."

"No problem, sweetheart. Goodnight." He kissed my cheek, and I waved at him as I walked out the doors, taking out my phone as I did, hitting speed dial. Dad picked up on the second ring.

_"Hey! How's my MIT graduate doing?"_ I rolled my eyes.

"You better not be gambling right now, or I swear-"

_"Ellie, calm down. Don't get your panties in a twist, I'm just working on something."_ I raised an eyebrow when I heard people cheer, and heard him ask a girl something about luck.

"Then why are you asking some chick to blow your dice?" He sighed.

"I'm a grown man, princess, you can't tell me what to do." I paused, mid-stride, rubbing my forehead. I felt a headache coming on, but what else was new?

"The least you could do is accept your own damn award for once. You know I hate going to these things, so why torture me?"

_"It builds character. Now, tell me, when's the ceremony?"_

"One in the afternoon. I want you there twenty minutes early. It's my day, right?"

_"I know, I know, all right, I'll be there. I love you, I miss you, and I can't wait to see that adorable face in an ugly yellow cap."_ I rolled my eyes.

"Love you too. Bye." I hung up, smiling at the men holding the doors open for me, with my entourage not too far behind, Dana right by my side in her usual laid-back clothes. "Dana, there's a change of clothes in the car, right?"

"Of course. What kind of best friend do you take me for, Ellie bug?"

"An amazing one. I just need out of these damn panty hose, their making my underwear ride up my ass."

"Ugh, I hate that. Hurry up." She ushered me into the car, making the guys stand outside while I changed into my hoodie and skinny jeans. I took the make-up wipes out from under the seat where I’d stuck them, and rubbed off the cover up before I pulled the hoodie on, as well as the pants. I winced at the burn the jeans caused, but shook that off, grabbed the sneakers Dana had snuck for me as well.

"ENTER!" I called, shoving my dress into the corner of the vehicle and the wipes back under the seat. As soon as Dana and one of the other guards got in, the driver headed to the airport.

 

* * *

 

I adjusted the cap when my hair started to get in my face, and grinned at Pepper as she entered the apartment first, holding me by my shoulders. She rubbed my arms unconsciously, and I let her. She had tears in her eyes, but I didn’t expect anything less.

“I’m so proud of you, honey.” I kissed her cheek in return, and hugged her tight.

“Thanks, Pepper.” I looked up as someone knocked on the door, and Dana grinned right back at me. I pulled out of her embrace, and nodded to the door. “I’ll see you later, okay?” She pulled my head down to kiss it, and I squeezed her hand. “Happy Birthday.”

“Happy graduation.” She said in return, and I headed to the door. Dana wrapped her arms around my shoulders in a hug as we walked to the elevator, and I sighed, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

 

* * *

 

And, as I had asked, begged, and pleaded for the past three weeks, my dad showed up. Just as promised. The only reason I hounded on him was because he seemed to always forget things involving me, his only daughter. Luckily, Pepper or Rhodey or someone else had reminded him last minute and he showed up with seconds to spare.

This time, though, he was on time, fully dressed, and, surprisingly, not intoxicated. He even tried to compete with the other parents', cheering the loudest when I got on stage and received my diploma. He had grinned at me when I walked into the lobby of the school building, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm impressed. No booze, not high, and you were even on time."

"Well why wouldn't I be, it's my daughter's graduation. What kind of father do you take me for?" I pointed a finger at him, poking his tie.

"Don't. Even. Go there." He grinned at me again. I rolled my eyes, accepting his hug.

"Good job, princess. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Dad." He pulled away, holding me by the shoulders.

"Show me the diploma. Just show it to me." I rolled my eyes again, holding it open for him to see. He nodded. "All right, I'm good. I'm sorry, I know you're gonna hate me for this, but I have a weapons demo I need to get to." I nodded.

"I know. That's why I asked Pepper to get your jet to the airport here, she's going to stay here since it's her birthday and I am going back home to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Have fun!" I grinned at him, walking away quickly.

"Traitor!" I laughed, taking Dana by the arm. "No drinking, Ellie! None!"

"Whatever you say, Daddy-O!" I scoffed, as we rounded the corner towards the exit. "Like hell I won't. Dana, tell me, where's Will?"

"I think he's greeting his parents. Why?"

"I have a long night planned, Dana. A very, very long night." She shared a grin with me. I skipped ahead of her, spotting the blonde boy ahead of me. "Oh Wiiii-iiiillll! I have the place to myself tonight!" I sing-songed, earning a fist pump as he swung me around, making me laugh.

"PARTY AT STARK'S!" The graduates cheered. I heard Dad yell something from the doors, as Happy dragged him out of it. I smirked again. The Stark name might come with a lot of baggage, but...it really did have it’s perks.


	3. Chapter 3

I grumbled, peaking an eye open, only to find my bed empty. I frowned, sitting up, holding the sheet to my chest, wrapping it around me as I headed to my closet.

"I need options, JARVIS." A row of outfits slid into the closet. I looked through them, picking out the one with a white t-shirt that had the Deathly Hollows in black on it, a pair of black leggings and black sandals. "Thanks." I muttered, putting it on and headed downstairs. I paused, when I hit the bottom step, looking between Pepper and Obie.

"What's up?" Obie and Pepper shared a look, before Pepper turned to me, taking my hand.  "Pepper, what's going on?"

"Ellie, I think you need to sit down." I frowned.

"Not until I know what's going on." Pepper sighed, and handed me the remote. I frowned at it, and she gestured to the couch.

“Turn on the news. I really think you should sit down for this.”

 

* * * * *

 

I gritted my teeth, my grip on the tv remote tightening. I'm pretty sure Pepper thought I was going to break it.

"Ellie." I set it down, heading down to the shop. "Ellie-"

"Let her go, Pepper. Just let her go." I shut the door behind me, clenching my fists as I stared around at the lab.

Everything was Dad’s. The cars, the technology, it was all his. It was the one thing he might have cared about more in this world than me, was the tech. It was all he’d ever know, anyway.

"JARVIS, don't let anyone in until I say so, even if they know the password. I want to be alone."

_Yes Miss Stark._ I took a seat at his workspace, hacking into it. Dad didn't know I knew how to get into his computer, and he'd never know as long as I'm still around.

I shifted through his work, tying up some loose ends, taking care of everything. I didn't dare think that maybe Dad wouldn't be coming home. He was, I knew it. The guy's Tony Stark, the company was his purpose, he wouldn't leave me here alone to deal with everything. I'm pretty sure he didn't trust me with running the company, anyway; I could barely run a blog properly, let alone a company.

Besides, the guy still owed me tickets to Comic Con, he had to come back. One way or another, he was coming back. Maybe not in one piece...but he _was_ coming home. We’d make sure of it.

 

* * *

 

_"I'm sure they're looking for you, Stark. But they will never find you in these mountains." Ellie came to mind. She was clever, watched a lot of television. She knew how to track a person down, Tony was sure she remembered what they'd talked about when he mentioned revealing her to the public eye. Ellie wouldn't stop looking. She'd already lost her mother, she wasn't going to lose her dad, too. She was very determined, and loyal. She wouldn't back off, not for a second. And that's what Tony was afraid of._

_"Look, what you just saw out there, that is your legacy, Stark. Your life's work, in the hands of those murderers. Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to do something about it?"_

_"Why should I do anything? They're going to kill me, you, either way. And if they don't, I'll probably be dead in a week." He wouldn't be able to say goodbye to Ellie. He'd left her, all alone, to fight for herself. She's always been independent, and sure, he'd left her alone for maybe a couple days, sometimes a week at a time. But Tony had always been there, every second he possibly could be since that plane crashed. And he wasn't sure how she'd handle being by herself._

_"Well then, this is a very important week for you, isn't it?"_

 

* * *

 

I was kept busy, what with being run through every aspect of the company. My bodyguards multiplied, considering that the paparazzi were always on my tail. I'd come to the conclusion that my last name was a curse.

I stayed up as long as I could until I finally passed out. Pepper wasn't surprised, considering that it was normal for me. But when I was finally about to pass out one day, I realized something.

"JARVIS, can you pull up the phone tracking app for me downstairs?"

_Yes, miss._ I got up off of the couch, heading down the stairs, using too much energy for any of this.

I managed to track the phone with ease, and researched the area for the rest of the night, jumping when someone put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up, knowing there were some major circles under my eyes, and that Pepper would make me get some sleep.

"Ellie, how long have you been up?" I shrugged her hand off of my shoulder, turning back to the computer, mumbling something incoherently. "What's this?" She asked instead, knowing that I wouldn’t answer her.

"I feel useless just sitting around. Dad would be there looking for me himself. I'm doing what I can."

"And that is...?" I sighed again, turning to Pepper.

"I tracked Dad's phone. I'm thinking of every possibility here, and it's not in a cave, so I'm trying to find all the caves between there and the place where he went missing, and any within a hundred mile radius of the phone. I'm gonna send the coordinates of them all to Rhodey." Pepper's eyes went wide, and she stared at my work before turning to me.

"That's very clever, Ellie, I don't know why they never thought of this." I shrugged. "Are you almost done? How long will this take?"

"Probably...oh! It's done, actually." I turned back around, printing out the coordinates. "Can you get these to Rhodey?" I yawned out, my eyes drifting closed as I tried to close out of my work on the computer. She set her hands on mine over the mouse, and turned the chair back around. I blinked at her, wobbling dangerously.

“Happy!” She yelled, and I tried to shoo her off, but Happy was down the stairs and picking me up before I could argue.

"I'll handle this. Just get some sleep." I leaned against Happy’s shoulder, and she smiled at me, but I recognized the look in her eyes. It made me flinch at the memory, and I curled up further as Happy carried me up the stairs.

He carried me up to my room, and laid me down. Pepper had followed, and Happy smiled at me, kissing my head.

"Sweet dreams, bug." I was already out of it, and Pepper sat on the edge of my bed as Happy left the room, shutting the door behind him. Pepper brushed my hair from my face, and then grabbed the blanket from the other side of my bed, pulling it over me.

“Do you really think that they’re gonna find him, Pepper?” She met my eyes, and smiled at me, despite the look I knew was on my face.

“I think that they’re going to do the best that they can.” I felt tears well up in my eyes, and she stroked my hair. “And I think that your dad is going to do whatever it takes to get back to his little girl.” That evil part of my brain was screaming otherwise, but I nodded, and Pepper leaned forward, kissing my head. “Get some sleep, sweetheart.”

“Thank you.” I muttered, and Pepper stood up, shutting the door behind her as she walked out. I let out an enervated sigh, and hugged the pillow under my head as tight as I could with the energy I had. I shut my eyes, and JARVIS blacked out my windows, keeping the bright sunlight out of my eyes.

_Sleep well, miss._

 

* * * * *

 

I blinked, sitting right up. My eyebrows furrowed when I found myself at the desk in the shop, and turned to the computer, tapping the screen to accept the call.

"Hello?"

_"Hey, bug."_ My eyes went wide.

"Did Pepper give you-"

_"She did. That's actually what I was calling about."_ My heart sank, at his tone. I should've known not to get my hopes up, there was a very slim chance of them finding him. _"Ellie, I need you to understand that this'll take a while. Probably a couple of weeks, maybe even longer."_

"I don't care. If this is the only way I can contribute to the search, then I'll do it."

_"That's what I thought. I'll call if we find anything."_ I smiled at his kind words, despite the way my heart had sank at his warning.

"Thanks, Rhodey."

_"Bye Ellie."_ He hung up. I frowned, when I saw what time it was. I rubbed my eyes, and stood up from the desk.

“JARVIS, it’s one in the afternoon.”

_Miss Potts gave me specific orders not to wake you, Miss Stark. I apologize._ I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"Turn on my music, and order some Chinese for me, will you?"

_Right away miss._ I turned to my car as Paramore blasted throughout the shop. I dragged a toolbox over to it, grabbing the board and rolled under the hood. I’d picked up fixing up the cars out of pure boredom, and I knew Dad had something specific in mind about each of them that he wanted to fix.

"Dum-E, get over here! Hand me the socket wrench!"

 

* * * * *

 

And it proceeded like this until Pepper appeared. I continued to yell at Dum-E as he handed me the wrong tools, and it was twenty minutes later when Pepper made herself known.

"Ellie, come and eat." I rolled out from under the hood, getting up and walked over to the couch, wiping the grease off of my hands. Pepper shot me a look as I reached for the chopsticks, and I rolled my eyes, going over to the sink to wash them. I held them up for inspection when they were clean, and Pepper looked annoyed, but satisfied.

I sat down on the couch, grabbing the box and a pair of chopsticks. "Thank you, Pepper." I said through a mouth full of egg roll. She turned down my music, standing in front of me with a clipboard.

"I need to know what you want to do about the press. Obadiah's left it up to you, but there is a board meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, so it has to be after that."

"Next Wednesday. The sooner I get this done, the better." She scribbled something in her book, and then flipped to something else.

"The Deen at Oxford called, he's getting even more pushy about you going." I paused, staring at the box in my hands, setting it down.

"Tell him I want a private tutor. I don't want to go there, not with all this happening. We meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Make sure you re-schedule anything on those days during study sessions."

"You really want to do that?" I nodded, looking up at her to meet her eyes.

"I said I wanted to do it, Pepper, and I meant it. I need to keep myself busy or I'm going to go stir crazy." Pepper pursed her lips, but nodded, writing something down before she shut her book.

"Will that be all Miss Stark?" I glared at her, but she smiled in amusement. I couldn’t help but smile back at her attempt of being a pain.

"That'll be all, Peps. Thank you." I smiled at Pepper appreciatively, taking a box with me as I strolled back over to the car. "What's this? That is not what I wanted, Dum-E! You know, I'm not afraid to dismantle you and make you into a tool box. Hand me the right tools. Get to it."

 

* * * * *

 

I flicked through the channels on the television, stopping at a report of the board meeting today. The search has been going on for a month, and things still weren't looking up. Rhodey had called about half of the areas I'd tracked down so far with no luck. They'd found some of his weapons, left over from a move. But there was still nothing.

_"Ellie Stark has finally made a public appearance since her father, Tony Stark's disappearance. The Board of Director's at Stark Industries discussed Mister Stark's position at Stark Industries. There is to be a press conference tomorrow, and we will be doing full coverage of it. We will be back after this commercial break."_ I flipped the channel, finding another news report on the board meeting.

_"It seems that Ellie Stark might be taking over the company, at only seventeen. This hasn't been confirmed, but Mister Stane has said that Stark Industries is open to Miss Stark stepping in to take over until if and when her father is found. But the question is--is Ellie ready to take over? There will be more on this story tomorrow, during Miss Stark's press conference. Goodbye and goodnight."_ I shut it off, sighing, running a hand through my hair.

I'd been asking myself this question for weeks, ever since Obie mentioned it. I wasn't sure what I wanted, not really. I told the board I'd consider the possibility, but really, I just wanted to stay as far away from the company as possible. It was Dad's, it wasn't mine. I didn't want it, not really. Not after what happened when Dad brought me to my first press conference and board meeting.

 

* * * * *

 

_Tony turned my head, making me look him in the eyes. I was nine, and he'd never revealed me to the public up until now. There were rumors flying around about me, though, saying that I was in some boarding school in some European country, and that's where Tony had stuck me after the plane crash._

_"If you get too freaked out, don't be afraid to tell me, alright?" I nodded. He took me by the shoulders, pushing me through the doors. And as soon as he did, cameras flashed, and I pulled my sunglasses down, squeezing past the paparazzi and to the elevator with Tony holding my shoulders the entire time. When we finally got into the elevator, I took off my sunglasses, meeting Tony's eyes with my wide ones. He grinned at me. "You gonna be okay there Bambi?" He laughed, messing up my hair. I slowly nodded, blinking, making my eyes adjust to the normal lighting, fixing my hair. "It'll get better, kid. I promise." I stuck out a hand, spitting on it._

_"Spit swear?" He scrunched his nose, but spit in his own hand, shaking mine._

_"We need a new swear." I nodded._

_"We do. Oh! How about...um..."_

_"What about the pinky swear, whatever happened to that?" I raised my eyebrows at him._

_"That was out the window when I hit kindergarten."_

_"Of course it was." The elevator dinged, and the doors opened, revealing an office, and down the hall a set of double doors where I assumed the conference room was. Tony took off, grabbing me by the arm to take me with him. I pulled it away as we neared the doors, adjusting my clothes. The board hadn't seen me, either. I'd never even been in the building until now. Obadiah Stane, Tony’s right-hand man, had told Tony that he had to bring me to the next board meeting so that they could put me down as Tony’s beneficiary. The future inheritor of Stark Industries._

_Obadiah greeted us as we walked through the doors, and Tony greeted some other people while Pepper sat me down in a seat next to where Tony would be sitting._

_"I'll be sitting right next to you, and I made sure you had something to keep yourself busy, maybe take some notes." I smiled in thanks, taking the pen from her._

_"Thanks Pepper." She smiled back at me as Tony took his seat, and the meeting began. I watched and listened, but I mostly doodled sketches of the robot I had in mind. Tony had said that as soon as I was up for it, he’d help me build anything I wanted. This was the first thing on my list._

_The meeting was over in a couple of hours, and as soon as it ended Tony had a press conference. He made sure I stood right by his side. But when the cameras started flashing, and reporters stuck microphones in my face, I panicked. I burrowed into his side, hoping I would blend in with his suit and that they'd ignore me. Tony had stopped mid-sentence, and set a hand on my head, stroking my hair._

_"I will not be taking anymore questions at the moment, and neither will my daughter." They all retreated, and Tony leaned down, picking me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and hid my face in his shoulder. He rubbed my back, and his bodyguard, Happy, followed behind us as Tony carried me out of the building._

_"Good job, Ellie. You did very well for your first press conference." I frowned at Pepper's words, as she started fiddling with my hair when Tony set me down in the backseat of his car. She's been a mother hen since he took me in._

_"But I didn't_ do _anything." I muttered, disappointed in myself. I’d freaked out when they pointed everything at me. I’d acted like a total baby._

_"You did too. You lasted longer than five minutes." Tony smirked at me when I looked at him. He looked proud of me. "Good job, kid."_

 

* * * * *

 

I blinked, staring at the television again. A single tear rolled down my cheek at the thought of my dad. I wanted him home. Pepper, Rhodey and Obie had been asking me constantly if I needed or wanted anything. And all I told them was that I wanted my dad home.

 

* * *

 

_"Good. Good roll. Good roll."_

_"You still haven't told me where you're from."_

_"I'm from a small town called Gulmira. It's actually a nice place." The smile on Yinsen's face made Tony realize why it was such a nice place. So he asked._

_"Got a family?"_

_"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?" Tony paused. Yinsen smiled again. "A daughter, am I wrong?"_

_"Ellie."_

_"Ellie." Tony nodded. "I've seen the news reports, some old articles about her. She's very bright." Tony smiled, nodding._

_"She's...different." Yinsen frowned._

_"Different how?" Tony shrugged, staring at the board as Yinsen rolled._

_"She's a genius, she inherited that from me. But when she gets an idea, she doesn't sleep. She'll work on something until her fingers bleed." Yinsen chuckled. Tony smiled again, at the thought of Ellie. "She doesn't act like a teenage girl. It's hard to describe Ellie. There's too much to explain about her."_

_"She's very eccentric, isn't she?" Tony nodded._

_"Yes. She is."_

_"And you'll be seeing her when you leave here." Tony nodded again. Just the thought of Ellie made him smile. He couldn't believe it, but he wanted to hear her ramble about her favorite shows as soon as he could._


	4. Chapter 4

I slammed my hand on the set of controls next to my bed, trying to shut off the music blasting in my room.

"JARVIS, shut it off."

"Ellie, get up." I frowned, turning to Pepper, who sat on the edge of my bed, brushing my hair away.

"How long have I been asleep?" She shrugged.

"I think twelve hours." Suddenly, she smiled. "They found him." I didn't need to hear another word. I ran to my closet, taking whatever was hanging there and got dressed. "Ellie, he won’t be there for a couple more hours-”

“Well then I have time to get a banner ready, don’t I?” She shot me a look, and I pulled on my shoes, grabbing my jacket. “What do you think? ‘Welcome Home, Dad! Hope Captivity Wasn’t Super Terrible!’” She looked even more annoyed, and I sighed, jumping on my feet slightly. “Sorry. The relief that my dad isn’t dead is kind of messing with my head right now. I’m not exactly thinking straight.”

“All right, all right, fine. Let’s go.” I grinned, and rushed out my door, yelling to JARVIS as I ran down the stairs.

"Get the shop ready and the wall, J! I don't care if he breaks his hand, just make sure he doesn't put a hole in it when he finds out I touched his files!"

_Of course, Miss Stark._ I waited for Pepper by the front door, and she yelled to me about getting breakfast first.

“Sure. And then we can get even more fat when Dad gets here, because he’ll probably want food, too.” She shot me another annoyed look, and I covered up my face. “JARVIS, don’t let me anywhere near energy drinks ever again. Ever.”

_Most certainly._

 

* * *

 

I bit my lip, bouncing on the balls of my feet as the plane landed, and the hatch started to open, far too slowly for my liking. I almost started crying, relief filling me up enough to make me burst when I saw Dad there. He was sitting in a wheelchair, a sling holding his arm up, and he had some cuts and bruises. But he was alive. That's all that mattered. I stopped bouncing on the balls of my feet, tears coming into my eyes as Rhodey helped him up, and he limped out of the plane.

"Dad." I muttered, and despite the pain I could see he was in I ran up to him, hugging him tightly. I smiled, burying my face in his shoulder as he grunted, holding me with his good arm.

"Hey, Ellie." I backed up, sharing a smile with him when I looked him in the eyes.

"Hi Dad." I turned when I saw a couple of medics coming our way with a gurney.

"You're kidding me, right? Get rid of them." He waved a hand, stopping the medics in their tracks. I took him by the elbow, walking with him at his own pace.

"Don't scare me like that again. Ever. Are we clear on that?"

"Yeah. I'll try my best not to be kidnapped again." I nodded, stopping in front of Pepper. He frowned. "Your eyes are red. A few tears for you long-lost boss?"

"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting." Pepper smiled at him.

"Yeah, vacation's over." He headed to the car without another word. I followed him, sharing a look with Pepper. I got into the passenger's seat as Pepper took the back with Dad.

"Where to, sir?" Happy asked, looking back at Dad.

"Take us to the hospital, Happy." Pepper said quietly, sitting forward.

"No." I raised an eyebrow, but kept my thoughts to myself, knowing that he wouldn't listen.

"No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital."

"No is a complete answer."

"The doctor has to look at you."

"I don't have to do anything. I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger, and the other-"

"That's enough of that." I laughed. The three other occupants shot me looks.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Ellie."

"But it's fun with my head in the gutter." I whined, pouting. Dad paused.

"It is, isn't it?" I smirked, nodding. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm fine."

"I know you, El. You're always hungry. Cheeseburger first, Hogan. And then a press conference, Potts."

"A press conference, what on earth for?" I frowned as well.

"Yeah, Hogan, drive." Dad said, and as soon as he did, Happy drove away.

I smiled. Oh, yeah. Dad was home.

 

* * *

 

I got out of the car as soon as Happy parked, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. Pepper had made me change into something more professional-looking, and it made me want to stab myself. I had been dressing professionally for three months. I wanted jeans. Now.

"Look at this!" Obie called as the people gathered around near the car, clapping and cheering as Dad stepped out of it. "Tony." They hugged for a second while Dad tried to get the ketchup off of his face. I smirked, pouting when Pepper took my burger. I tried to take it back, but she put it back in the bag.

"You can have this later." She handed me a piece of gum. I rolled my eyes at her, putting it in my mouth, waiting for Dad.

"We were gonna meet you at the hospital." Obie said, taking Dad by the shoulders.

"No, I'm fine." He turned to Happy as he approached with a Burger King bag.

"Look at you! You had to have a burger, yeah?"

"Pepper, give my girl her food, she's wasting away over there." I grinned, taking it from her as she rolled her eyes. I tossed my gum in the bag instead, and Obie laughed.

"You get me one of those?"

"Uh, there's only one left, and I think Ellie needs it more than us."

"No I don't!" I yelled over a mouth full, covering my mouth up. Dad rolled his eyes at me, taking me by the elbow. "Okay, what's up with you, you're fussing over me more than you did when I broke my arm in fourth grade."

"Shut up and deal with it, princess." I rolled my eyes at him this time, despite the smile on my face. Dad patted my arm, and I dropped it as he headed to the podium, leaving me with Pepper.

"Miss Stark?" I frowned. Nobody ever wanted to talk to me.

"Yes. I'm not part of the press conference, but it's about to begin right now." I said, gesturing to the group of reporters.

"I'm not a reporter." I frowned further, turning to the man who was speaking to me. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"Well that's a mouthful." I said, taking the card that he offered to me.

"We're working on it." I sighed, shaking my head, handing the card back to him.

"Listen Agent Coulson, I've been approached by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA-"

"We're a separate division with a more specific focus. We need to debrief Mister Stark on the circumstances of his escape-"

"Then don't come to me, Agent, talk to Miss Potts. She handles my father's business, I handle my own. Are we clear on that?" I turned back to look at him, and the look on the man’s face made me frown. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

"Crystal." I paused, but nodded, turning back to the conference as it began. I looked for Dad, seeing him sitting on the floor in front of the podium. I smiled in amusement, when he made everyone else sit down.

"Ellie, that means you. Sit." My smile dropped, and I shook my head.

"No. No way, not in this skirt." Dad sighed.

"Fine. Then just, lean against the wall or something." He gestured to the one next to me, and I nodded.

"I can do that." I leaned against the wall near Pepper and Rhodey. He paused, looking at me.

"How do you feel about all of this, Ellie. Has anyone asked you that, how you feel about all of this?" I frowned, confused at his question. I hadn’t expected that, for sure.

"About what, exactly?"

"The company. What it does, what I do for it. How do you feel about it? Truly?" I paused, frowning even further. Dad had never asked me about this, ever. Not even when I decided on what I wanted to do about being accepted to MIT, when I would have had to choose whether I wanted to take over the company one day or not.

It was strange to be asked this, because I never thought about it before.

"I think that...the more the company advances, the closer we are to peace."

"Truly?"

"Yes, truly." He nodded, pausing briefly before he smiled.

"Have I mentioned how great it is to see you." I smiled too, my eyebrows furrowed as I looked him in the eyes.

"It's good to see you too, Dad." He paused again, looking me in the eyes the entire time he spoke.

"I never got to say goodbye to my dad.” He paused, and then looked around at the reporters. “I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions that I would've asked him, I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did, if he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels.” He paused, but he looked at me again. “I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."

I frowned even further, my face falling along with the frown.

The body this man was in was my father's, but the man inside him wasn't. He was different, scarred, damaged. Like I was, after the plane crash. He was planning something, and I didn't know what it was, but I was going to find out one way or another.

A bunch of reporters called for him, holding up their pens and such. Dad looked at the youngest guy in front, a familiar face when it came to the press.

"Hey, Ben."

"What happened over there?" Dad stood up suddenly, standing behind the podium.

"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International until such a time I can decide what the future of the company will be." My eyes went wide, and I dropped the burger out of my hand. Happy caught it, though, and pulled me out of there as reporters started coming up to me, shoving microphones in my face, cameras flashing. I blinked, shielding my eyes, letting Rhodey, Pepper and Happy get me out of there. Dad got away from the press, though, and took me by the arm, holding me to his side.

I took a deep breath through my nose, and let it out through my mouth as he stopped me outside of the building, holding my shoulders to make me look him in the eyes. My heart was pounding, and my ears were ringing, but I played it off. Acted like I was fine. Like always.

"What was that." I asked as soon as Dad grabbed me, looking at him in concern. My panic was hidden with anger. "What happened. Really." He paused, heading to the car. _"Dad."_ He got into the car without another word to me. I refused to move for a moment, but sighed, getting into the backseat with him.

He told Happy where to go, and that was that. He didn't say a single word to me. Not until we got to where he wanted to, anyway. He took off his jacket as he got out of the car, and headed into the building, making me hurry up so I wouldn't have to take out my own key. He looked at the arc reactor, just looked at it. I approached him slowly, since I’d stopped by the door.

"Dad." He sighed, and I raised an eyebrow as he turned around to face me. He started unbuttoning his shirt. "Woah! Woah, woah, I don’t know what you’re doing, but-" My eyes went wide, when I saw what was fixed into the middle of his chest. It looked like a miniaturized arc reactor, and it was glowing brightly. I stuttered for a second, and Dad’s lip twitched. He wanted to smirk at my immediate reaction, but now I was mentally trying to figure out why he would ever need that. "Why do you-"

"Shrapnel.” He said simply. My eyes went even wider, and I looked up to meet Dad’s own eyes. “The electro magnetic frequency-

“Keeps it from getting further into your bloodstream.” I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat as I came to that conclusion. Dad looked down, and tapped the reactor.

“This thing is keeping me alive." My throat closed up. Dad buttoned his shirt back up. "My own weapons were used against me. I didn't approve of them being there, El, someone’s double dealing under the table. I want you to understand that things are going to get dirty around here, and you need to be careful, because they might aim for you next."

“You’re dying.” Dad looked back up at me, as my worst fear came true. I’d already lost my mom, and now...now, I could lose my dad any second.

“Not with this thing in my chest.” I blinked back the tears, and nodded, but Dad wrapped his arms securely around me, hugging me tightly. I set my chin on his shoulder, and he cradled the back of my head. “I’m not going anywhere, bug.” I hugged him back, afraid to let go. Afraid that’d he disappear, too.

"I'm always careful, Dad." I muttered, and he squeezed me tighter.

"I know you are. You're a good girl, but I need you to keep your eyes wide open." He muttered back, and I nodded slowly.

"Okay. But I want you to swear that you’ll do the same.” He pulled away, and pulled my head down, kissing my forehead.

“Science swear.” I pulled away now, and Dad grabbed my hand, squeezing it. "Go wait outside. I'll be out in a minute." I nodded, walking out the door just as Obie walked in. I sat on the hood of the car with Happy, taking the offered paper bag, and shoved the burger in my mouth. I took a huge bite, and sniffed, wiping at my eyes. Happy didn’t say anything, like I knew he would.

"Thanks for guarding this with your life. If Pepper had taken it, I would've been pissed."

"No problem." I frowned, watching as Dad took the sling off his arm. "You're gonna make him put that back on, aren't you?" I considered it, and then shrugged.

"He won't listen. He never does. I don't know why I even bother anymore." Happy nodded, taking out another cigarette but put it out as Dad and Obie walked out of the building.

I didn't like the look on either of their faces. And I definitely wasn't looking forward to what was gonna happen next.


	5. Chapter 5

_"Stark Industries! I've got one recommendation! Ready? Ready?"_ He pressed a button, making some automated voice say ‘sell, sell, sell!’ _"Abandon ship! Does the Hindenburg ring any bells?"_ Pepper and I sighed simultaneously. _"Let me show you the new Stark Industries business plan!"_ He smashed a mug with a baseball bat, making Pepper wince. I rubbed my temples, picking up my cup of tea, trying to tune out the television. _"Look, that's a weapons company that doesn't make weapons!"_

_"Ellie, get down here, I need your help."_ I frowned, tapping the screen to reply to Dad, turning it to me.

"With what?"

_"Just get down here. Now."_ I rolled my eyes, setting my mug aside as I trampled down the stairs. I punched in the passcode, opening up the door, frowning at the set up. I took my glasses out of my hoodie's inside pocket I had sewn in, skipping over to my dad.

"Hey. I need you to replace this reactor with this." He held up the one he wanted, and I nodded. "There's a loose wire, and it's making contact with the socket wall, causing a little bit of a short."

"So it's like Operation?"

"Yes! Yes, exactly." He took out the reactor in the socket, handing it to me. I put it on the table, turning back to him. "I want you to reach in, and gently lift the wire out. You've got the hands of a surgeon, I know you can do it."

"Got it." I nodded again, reaching in. I grimaced, when I touched something that felt like puss.. "Ew. That is nasty. What is that, is that like some...some inorganic, uh..."

"It's an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device." My nose scrunched up even more. This shit was in his freaking body. Nasty.

"It smells."

"I know. C'mon, Ellie bug, focus. The copper wire. You got it?" I nodded, shushing him. "Now when you pull it out, don't pull out the-" He jumped, yelping. "That was it, you just pulled it out." I held up the electro magnet, raising an eyebrow.

"But you don't need this thing, do you?" He shook his head, so I set it on the table beside me.

"No, I don't. Now hook this baby up." I nodded, taking the reactor from him, hooking it up to the base plate. I pushed the reactor in, making him yell again, but then we grinned at each other, laughing. "Good job princess." I shrugged, heading over to the sink to wash my hands off.

"What do you want me to do with the other one?"

"Destroy it, incinerate it. I don't need it." I rolled my eyes, wiping my hands off on a towel, and took off my glasses, picking up the device.

"Can I keep it?" Dad frowned.

"Sure, kid." I grinned.

"Awesome. Is that all?"

"That's all." I nodded, skipping to the door. I heard him start to yell at Dum-E as I walked away. I rolled my eyes again, handing the device to Pepper as I grabbed my tea when I walked back into the living space. She frowned at it.

"Isn't this-"

"The thing that was keeping Dad alive. He might need it, and I'm not taking any chances. Do what you want with it, Peps, I have some blogging I need to attend to."

 

* * *

 

"Ugh. _Jensen._ Seriously, dude, you're killing me here."

"Talking to your screen saver again?" I screamed, falling off my bed and onto the floor, catching Baby as she fell with me.

"Dad! You almost made me drop Baby!"

"I can see that. She okay?" I let out a breath of relief after looking her over, holding Baby to my chest.

"Yeah, no thanks to you and your sneaky self." I stood up, glaring at him. "What do you want."

"I need your help with something." He took a seat at my desk, spinning around in my chair. I set Baby down gently on my bed, frowning at him, eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. I didn’t like the way he was spinning in that chair.

"Help with what, exactly?"

"A project. It's not for the military, it's...different. Rhodey won't help me, and I hate to involve you in this, but you're my only hope." I paused.

"It's a weapon, but...not for the military? You're gonna keep it in your private files, aren't you?"

"And bingo was his name-o." I grinned mischievously.

"Count me in." He frowned at me.

"Well that was easy." He stood up, gesturing to the door so I'd follow him. "Chop chop, buttercup, we're wasting daylight."

 

* * *

 

I took out my glasses and put them on, keeping a fair distance from my dad as he sat on his computer.

"JARVIS, you up?"

_For you, sir, always._

"I'd like to open a new project file, index as Mark Two." He dragged a blank page from the upper screen, pulling it down to the one on the bottom left. He copied something, bringing it over to the workspace. My eyes went wide when I saw it.

"That's incredible." Dad shared a smile with me.

_Shall I store this on the Stark Industries Central Database?_

"Actually, I don't know who to trust right now. Till further notice, why don't we just keep everything on my private server." Ah, so he didn't want this on my private server. Good choice, Daddy-O. Very clever.

_Working on a secret project, are we sir?_ Dad flipped open the helmet, as I examined the thing, looking over all of it. It was pretty advanced technology, what with him being in a cave with a box of scraps.

"This is how you escaped, isn't it?" I met his gaze, and he nodded. He started taking some things out, throwing it in the trash, leaving the basics as he spun the hologram around again.

"I don't want this winding up in the wrong hands. Maybe in mine, it can actually do some good."

 

* * *

 

I sat next to Dad, taking over for the robot that was deemed Dum-E for a reason.

"Next. Up. Not in the boot, Ellie. Right here. You got me?" I nodded. "Stay put. Nice. Good, now move down to the toe. I got this." I backed up, going down to the toe, but ended up losing control of the chair and bumped into him. "Sorry, am I in your way?"

"DAD!" He smirked, laughing at me. I glared, doing what he wanted me to, and watched as the boot moved the way I wanted it to, reacted how I knew it would.

"Up." I moved the wire up, getting out of his way. "Screw it, don't even move." I rolled my eyes, staying still.

"Asshole." I muttered.

"I heard that."

"I wanted you to." I mocked. He rolled his eyes at me, backing up. As he pressed a button, the armor disassembled. He grabbed it, and got up, putting it on, along with the other. I spun around in my chair, taking my coffee from the robot, watching carefully as Dad put on the boots, hooking them up to the power source.

"Okay, let's do this right. Ellie, are you even trying to pay attention?"

"I'm locked and loaded. Just do it." I set my coffee back down, watching carefully.

"Start mark, half a meter, and back and center. Dum-E, look alive. You're on standby for fire safety. You, roll it." The camera moved as he said that, focusing in on him. "Ellie, I want your eyes and ears open. Watch carefully."

"Just do it!" I snapped, rolling my eyes again. He sighed.

"Alright. Activate hand controls." He stood carefully, testing out the boots, holding the hands controls tightly. I watched the boots, and kept memos on what needed what. "We're gonna start off nice and easy. We're gonna see if 10% thrust capacity achieves lift. And three. Two. One." He took off, slamming into the back wall. I burst out laughing, curling up in a ball on the floor, tears literally running down my face.

"I told you it was too much!" I yelled, continuing to laugh at him as he glared at me.

"Oh yeah?" I screeched, as he threw me over his shoulder.

"DAD!" He smirked at me, as he set me down outside the door, locking me out. "Dude, c’mon! I won’t laugh anymore, I promise!"

"You science swear?" I sighed, but agreed.

"I science swear!" He let me back in. I crossed my arms, glaring at him. "Cry baby."

"Brat."

 

* * *

 

The next thing we did were the arms of the suit. We had a model done in two days.

"Up two. Set that." I set the wires, looking up as Pepper approached.

"I've been buzzing you, did you hear the intercom?"

"Yeah, everything's..." Dad muttered.

"What?" I asked, almost letting the tool in my hand slip, but Dad caught it, deciding to do this himself.

"Obadiah's upstairs, what would you like me to tell him?" I sniffed, going over to the door and sniffed again.

"Is that pizza?" I rushed upstairs without Pepper having to tell me anything. Ever since my last check up, I've been living on rabbit food. The only time I got to have anything good was when Obie or Dad brought it back. I wasn't giving up this chance for anything.

"Obie, my savior." I hugged him tightly, letting him ruffle my hair before I snatched the box from him, taking out a piece. "Pepper's been even worse about this thing since Dad came back."

"You didn't eat it all yet, did you?"

"Nope!" I called back to Dad through the pizza, taking another piece for good measure. "Thanks, Obie."

"No problem, sweetheart."

"Ellie bug, get down here now! I need you to see this!" I rolled my eyes, holding up a finger.

"Dad'll be up in a second, Obie."

"Thanks."  He smiled warmly, and I grinned back, before I rushed back to the stairs.

"HOLD YOUR DAMN HORSES, DAD, I'M COMING!" I yelled, headed back down to the shop, watching as Dad held up the arm. "Alright, I'm watching, I'm listening, go ahead." He aimed it at the wall, but went flying back as he shot the flight stabilizer.

"I didn't expect that." I smirked, fighting back a laugh. Dad got himself up, putting the stabilizer back down. "El, work on this. I have to go and talk to Obie." I put up a hand, high-fiving him as he headed to the stairs.

"You got it."

 

* * *

 

"Day 11, test 37, configuration 2.0. For lack of a better option, Dum-E is still on fire duty. If you douse me again, and I'm not on fire, I'm donating you to a city college." I laughed, smirking.

"Poor Dum-E." Dad rolled his eyes.

"All right, nice and easy. Seriously, just gonna start off at 1% thrust capacity." He steadied himself, and I leaned forward, resting my elbow on my crossed knee, my chin on my knuckle. "And three. Two. One." I watched as he hovered above the ground, before I smiled. He set himself back on the ground.

"Okay." He turned to Dum-E. "And please don't follow me around with it either, 'cause I feel like I'm gonna catch on fire spontaneously. Just stand down! If something happens, come in. And you, wipe that smart ass look off your face before I ship you off to your aunt Sara's." My eyes went wide.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would." I glared at him. "That's better. And again, let's bring it up to 2.5. Three, two, one." He hovered above the ground again, this time even higher. I watched the boots, as they let out some exhaust, checking over everything to make sure it was stable. He flew around carefully, trying to avoid the cars as much as possible, but ended up near them.

"Okay, this is where I don't want to be! Not the car, not the car!"

"NO!" I yelled in protest, biting my lip, bouncing from foot to foot. "Not the car, please, NOT THE CAR! THAT ONE'S MINE!"

"Table!" I let out a sigh of relief, after making sure my car wasn't damaged. Dad finally got the nerve to put his hands up, pushing himself away. He hovered close to the camera, laughing to himself. "Could be worse, could be worse! We're fine! Okay." He slowly lowered himself to the ground before landing, stumbling a little. I grinned with him, running into his open arms for a hug, laughing as he set me down.

"You can fly!"

"Yeah, I can fly." We smirked.

 

* * *

 

I watched as the armor assembled over the technology, biting my lip.

"JARVIS, are you there?" Dad asked, putting on his mask. I didn't hear JARVIS' answer, since-pun intended-it was all in Dad's head. "Engage Heads Up Display. Import all preferences from home interface." Dad looked around, checking everything out, before his eyes landed on me.

"So, what d'you think?"

"It's a lot slimmer, probably easier to walk around in. If you plan on testing it out, don't go into traffic, or anywhere within range of the city. I don't want any news reports on some silver man flying around. I mean it, Dad, you need to keep a low profile if this is just a test."

"I can do that. All right, what do you say?" He was talking to JARVIS again. I took out my tablet, running through the security cameras around the property, making sure they were all ready. I sat down at his desk, putting up all the cameras for me to see, putting on a headset so it'd be easier to communicate. "Can we start the virtual walk-around?" He paused again, and I bit my lip, forcing myself not to laugh when his helmet turned. It looked like he was looking around the shop, but I knew he was looking at information in his helmet. I looked away, checking the information on the computer.

"Do a check on control surfaces."

_As you wish, miss._ I looked at the suit as JARVIS did just that, reading the information quickly that popped up on the screen, running through it all.

_Test complete, preparing to power down and begin diagnostics._

"Yeah, tell you what. Do a weather and ATC check. Start listening in on ground control." JARVIS probably started to argue, tell Dad that there still needed to be some tests done, but Dad wouldn't have it. "JARVIS! Sometimes you need to run before you can walk." I sighed.

"Be careful. I swear, I'll dismantle that suit and make it into a surfboard if you get caught."

"Yes, Ellie, I heard you the first time. I'll stay within range. JARVIS, go into walkie-talkie mode. If I don't, she might just lose it." I rolled my eyes. "In three. Two. One." He pushed himself from the ground, and took off through the garage. I watched through the helmet with him as he did, grinning as he started freaking out. I switched to the camera at the top of the house, watching as he flew into the sky.

_"Handles like a dream, kiddo, you'd love it."_

"Oh no. No flying for me, thanks." I looked through the stats, checking out the suit. "You're looking good, Daddy-O. Don't fly too high, though, I don't know how much altitude the suit can take."

_"Got it."_ He took off. I frowned, my eyes going wide.

"Get back into sight, Dad."

_"I'm just testing it out. I promise, I won't go into traffic, okay? Just by the pier."_ I rolled my eyes.

"I don't even care anymore, it's your funeral." I switched to the cameras by the pier, and the top of the highest buildings in the city, keeping all eyes on him.

_"All right, let's see what this thing can do. What's SR-71's record?"_

_The altitude record for fixed wing flight is 85,000 feet, sir._ My eyes went wide.

"Don't you dare. There could be ice buildup, the suit will stop running, and you'll end up in the ocean."

_"Records are made to broken, El. Come on!"_

"Dad, no! Get back down here right now!"

_Sir, there is a potentially fatal buildup of ice occurring._

_"Keep going!"_ I stood up suddenly, trying anything and everything to get him back here. Now.

"No. Get back here, that's enough."

_"Higher!"_

"I said that’s enough, Dad-" My connection cut off. I stared at the computers in horror as all connections to the suit were lost. My eyes went wide. "Dad?" I asked, just praying that he cut me off so I'd stop bugging him. I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking at the cameras, checking and double-checking every one for any sight of him. But in another few seconds, the information came flying back through the computers, and I heard Dad yelling. My heart started beating again. "Dad?" I heard him cheering, and I sat down, burying my face in my hands, running them both through my hair.

_"I'm okay! I'm okay. I might have taken off through traffic, but I'm okay."_

"I don't even care. I told you not to scare me like that anymore!"

_"I'm sorry, kid, but I had to try. Don't worry, I'm on my way to you right now."_ I watched, as he hovered over the roof. _"Kill power."_ I gasped, as he crashed through the ceiling and the piano, landing on one of the cars. The alarms all went off, and Dum-E sprayed Dad in the face. I bit my lip, shutting everything down, setting the headgear aside.

I stood up slowly, helping Dad up, chuckling to myself as he went to get the suit off.

"Never speak of this again. Are we clear on that?" I nodded. "Good. Go to bed."

"Aye aye, cap'n."


	6. Chapter 6

"JARVIS!"

_Yes, Miss Stark?_

"If Dad asks for me, would you tell him that it's that time of the month and not to bug me? I don't care what you have to say, just make sure that he doesn't know I went to the benefit, okay?" I slipped on my Jimmy Choos, picking up the clutch off the rack.

_Of course, miss._

"Thanks!" I called, heading out the door, and rushing down the stairs before he came up from the shop. I checked myself out in the mirror by the door, making sure every strand was in place, and that my dress was looking good. It was black, and stopped right above my knees with a sweetheart neckline. My heels were bright red, along with my lips, with just a little mascara on. I smirked, heading out the door, getting into the backseat as my driver opened the door.

It was a ten minute drive to get into the city. Cameras flashed, and some guys stared at me, smirking, sometimes hitting each other's arms and pointing me out.

"Hey, Ellie." I grinned, spinning around, and hugged him tightly. He was grinning right back.

"Ian! Ugh, I missed you. Keep me company?"

"Of course." We shared a smile, and I took his offered elbow. We walked into the building, and I frowned, when I realized who was missing.

"So where's your boyfriend? You always bring Jake with you."

"He's sick. Couldn't get out of bed." I pouted.

"Poor Jake." Ian turned to me, taking his opportunity to ask questions.

"Where's your dad? Don't you two usually come together?" I sighed.

"It's complicated.” Ian frowned in concern, so I decided to explain. “Ever since that press conference, he's been really stressed. I told him to stay home, that me and Obadiah would handle the press for him." Ian nodded.

"That's so...unlike you." I smirked.

"What can I say? I'm a Daddy's girl."

"More like a spoiled girl." I smirked further, heading into the hall with him. "How about a drink?"

"I'm gonna need one." He chuckled, and we headed to the bar. "I need a scotch, on the rocks." Ian raised an eyebrow. I gave him a look that said 'What?' He turned, picking up a glass of champagne from one of the waiters walking by.

"Better hope your nannies don't see that." I shot him a look.

"Ha-ha, you're hilarious. Seriously, I'm dying here." He rolled his eyes at me, and I grabbed the glass as it was set in front of me, leaving a tip before I turned around, taking Ian by the arm. "Let's get this show on the road."

 

* * *

 

I laughed, but stopped, almost choking when I saw my dad walk up to the bar. "Oh, shit." I put my glass on some waiter's tray as he walked by, putting a finger to my lips, shoving a bill into his apron. He walked away without a word. Ian chuckled, along with Dana. I shot them both glares, standing up when he approached.

"Dad! What're you doing here, I thought you had some work to do?" I said, putting on a smile, hoping the panic didn't show.

"I should be asking you the same question." I sighed, dropping the smile. I should've known it wouldn't fool him.

"Dad-"

"Save it. We'll talk later." I frowned, watching as he walked up to Pepper. I turned back to the waiter heading our way, picking up a drink off of his tray, getting rid of it in two gulps before I got up.

"I'm out of here. Ian, you wanna go bar hopping? Dana?"

"Hell, you know I'm in!" Dana got up, taking me by the elbow. We both turned to Ian, but he was staring at his phone. He looked up, after reading a text.

"I gotta get back to Jake. His fever was too high for my liking."

"Give him my best, okay?" Ian nodded, as I kissed his cheek.

"See you later, Ellie." I smiled at him, getting very close to stumbling to the door, but Dana helped me out. She raised an eyebrow when I asked that the driver take us to the nearest liquor store.

"No way. You were pretty fucking close to stumbling, babe, I think you've had enough tonight. Take her home, no ifs', ands' or buts' about it."

"Yes ma'am." I glared at Dana, who smirked, shutting my door for me.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ellie."

 

* * *

 

I sat with my knees pulled up to my chest, and Dad was fixing one last glitch with the hand controls.

_"The 15-mile hike to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into Hell, into a modern day Heart of Darkness. Simple farmers and herders from peaceful villages have been driven from their homes, displaced from their lands by warlords emboldened by a new-found power. Villagers have been forced to take shelter in whatever crude dwellings they can find in the ruins of other villages, or here in the remnants of an old Soviet smelting plant."_ I bit my lip, turning to him as he stared at the screen, a clip of some of those warlords being played.

"They have your weapons, don't they?"

"Obadiah filed the projunction against me. He's trying to take over the company, and he's double dealing under the table. I want you to stay as far away from that as possible, Ellie, do you understand me?" I nodded, as he finally looked me in the eyes. I turned back to the screen.

_"Recent violence has been attributed to a group of foreign fighters referred to by the locals as the Ten Rings. As you can see, these men are heavily armed and are on a mission. A mission that could prove fatal to anyone who stands in their way."_ My eyes went wide. I looked up, as Dad stood, walking around the table slowly to stand in front of the television.

_"With no political will or international pressure, there's very little hope for these refugees. Around me, a woman begging for news on her husband, who was kidnapped by insurgents, either forced to join their militia..."_ I jumped, as Dad aimed for the other end of the shop, destroying two lights and knocking one into one of his cars that he had been working on.

_"Desperate refugees clutch yellowed pictures, holding them up to anyone who will stop."_ I tuned out the television, watching Dad carefully.

He turned, staring at the glass window next to the door, shooting that next. And then the other two.

He took off the arm piece, going upstairs quickly. I just watched him over my knees, still staring at the screen. I got up suddenly, going over to the desk, connecting it to the suit, putting the headpiece on, making sure everything was safe and tested out the armor, before he came back down.

He had some protective clothing on, something I'd forced him to get so he wouldn't end up hurting anything but the suit. He stood over the newly set up suit assembly, holding his arms out to get the armor on. He turned to me as soon as he did, but he still had the mask up.

"Ellie, take that off and shut everything down. I won't be back until morning-"

"So I'm not getting any sleep tonight. What else is new?"

"El-"

"Shut up and go kick some ass." Dad caught my chin, making me look him in the eyes. "Just be careful, okay? I only want to see scratches on the suit. There had better not be a single damn tear in that under armor."

"I'll be back in the morning." He closed the helmet, taking off through the garage. I turned to the computers, taking off my glasses and rubbed my temples.

"JARVIS, I need coffee. And keep it coming."

 

* * *

 

I jumped, turning to the computer as the phone rang, frowning, but tapped something, picking up before Dad did.

"Hello?" I rubbed my eyes, blinking, taking the offered coffee from Dum-E.

_"Hey, Ellie bug. Where's Tony?"_

"I dunno, something about..." I yawned loudly, forcing my eyes open again. "I don't know. All I know is that he's wicked busy. What's up?"

" _It's nothing. I'll call back later, just get some sleep."_

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Later, Rhodey." I hung up, chugging the coffee before I set it back down, checking in on the suit.

_"Ellie, I've only been gone two hours and you already crashed."_

"I got this, don't mess with me, I'm in the zone." I paused in the middle of my typing. "JARVIS, gimme some music. Specifically, my BAMF playlist. That might just keep me up."

_"Ugh, no. Not that. Anything but that."_

"Shut up, Dad. JARVIS, get to it!"

_Of course miss._ And as soon as he said that, Eminem's 'Without Me' blasted through the speakers scattered throughout the shop. I smirked, bobbing my head to the music, spinning in my chair, working on trying to find some way for Dad to distract the two planes that were on his tail. I started rapping along with the song, but kept my focus on the computers.

_"Ellie, knock it off or I'm taking away your music privileges."_

"Dad, for the last time, _shut up_. I have a plan, if you're willing to do it."

_"Whataya got, princess."_ I sighed.

"You're not gonna like it."

_"Tell me."_ I bit my lip.

"Rhodey called. I'll call him back, and tell him it's one of mine. He doesn't have to know it's you."

_"Just tell him it's me, El, it's fine."_

"You're supposed to be laying low! I'm telling him it's me, and that's it."

_"Ellie-"_ I disconnected, calling Rhodey up again.

_"What's up, Ellie bug?"_

"Stop your men, Rhodey, that bogey is one of mine. It's the only drone I have, so if you don't mind-"

_"Ellie, you couldn't do that alone even if you tried. It's Tony, isn't it?"_ I gaped at the screen.

"How the hell did you figure that out?" He laughed at me.

_"Don't worry. I'm on it. Just hang tight."_ He hung up. I frowned at the computer, but continued to jam to my music, still watching through the suit as Dad did whatever the hell he was doing. I made random hand gestures, bobbing my head to the music, yelling the rap at the top of my lungs.

_Now this looks like a job for me, so everybody, just follow me cause we need a little controversy, ‘cause it feels so empty without me_.

 

* * *

 

I sat upright, as someone shook me awake, blinking, trying to get my eyes open.

"Go to bed. Now." I grumbled, getting to my feet, stumbling to the door. I bumped into Pepper, who grabbed me by the shoulders, pulling my eyelids open to look closer.

"How long have you been up?" I shrugged.

"I dunno...a few days?" Pepper gave me a look.

"Ellie, how many times do I have to tell you that you can't do this. It's a serious health risk, and with your health record-"

"Pepper, it's too early for this stuff. I'm going to bed right now, okay? Look-" I tripped over my own feet, landing on the stairs, just curling up right there. "See...sleep..." And as soon as I shut my eyes, I was asleep. Again.

 

* * *

 

The next time I woke up, it was in my own bed. I grumbled, putting a pillow over my head, trying to fall asleep again. But the curtains were open, and I'm pretty sure it was at least eleven thirty, so I got up anyway, taking a quick shower and changed, heading down to the shop, the memories of the past night running through my head.

"Dad!" He turned to me from his suit, smirking. "I passed out on the stairs again, didn't I?"

"You did. Listen, I need a favor." I skipped over to his desk, looking him in the eyes. "I need you to go to my office. You're going to hack into the mainframe and you're going to retrieve all the recent shipping manifests." He held out a lock chip, which I took, putting it in my secret pocket.

"You're going to destroy your weapons if I bring back this information, aren't you?"

"Yep. Oh, Pepper! Go with Ellie. Go. Right now." I turned to Pepper, grinning at her.

"C'mon, Peps, I got a job for you." I headed up the stairs, and she followed close behind. "I need to go to Dad's office, but I need you to make sure that no one disturbs me, okay? Give them some bullcrap excuse about me snooping around for some intel on something that'd interest me, that’s usually what I’m there for anyway."

"Yes, Ellie." I smirked.

"Good."

 

* * *

 

I skipped off of the elevator, running over to the office, gesturing to Pepper's desk.

"Make yourself look busy, Peps. Give me five minutes if I'm not out in ten."

"Okay. I still don't approve of this, but okay." I grinned at her, shutting the doors behind me and ran over to the desk, plopping into the chair before I got to work. I plugged in the lock chip, and it got me in quickly. The ghost drive was found in no time, and I looked through it quickly before I copied it all, sitting back to watch my work.

"So, what're we going to do about this?" I looked up, smiling at Obadiah in my usual way.

"Hey, Obie!" He smiled, heading over to the liquor table, picking up one of the glass bottles.

"I know what you're going through, Ellie." I frowned. "Ah, Tony. He always gets the good stuff, doesn't he?" I nodded, smiling again. I turned back to the computer, as he looked down, and saw that the download had been completed. With a few swipes off the keyboard, the screen was cleared, and the chip was back in my pocket. I picked up the paper, looking through it before I put it back down, just for show. Obadiah came over to the desk, and stood behind me, looking at the screen. "I was so happy when he came home, it was like he came back from the dead. You were probably even happier than me, knowing that your dad was alive." I nodded, as he walked around me, leaning on the other side of the desk, and looked me in the eyes. "But we never really got him back, did we, Ellie? He left a part of himself in that cave. Breaks my heart."

"It's changed him, but I think it's changed him for the better. He's a complicated person to the rest of you, but we have an understanding of each other. He's been through a lot, but I think he'll be all right." Obadiah smiled at me again, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"I remember when Tony found out about you, after the plane crash. I'd never seen him so panicked. I would've never thought that a child of Tony's would turn out as great as you have, though. Your father doesn't know how lucky he is." I shrugged, smiling back at him.

"Thank you. I gotta go, before Dad finds out I've been here snooping. I'll see you later Obie." I kissed his cheek, skipping to the door, leaving the paper there.

"Ellie." I paused with my hand on the door handle, turning to Obadiah. "Is this today's paper?" I met his eyes slowly. I hid the panic, but he knew what I had. He knew what I'd been doing. Dad was gonna kill me.

"Yeah, help yourself." He smiled.

"Thank you." I smiled back, shutting the door behind me, and sped-walked to the elevator, pressing the button as Pepper rushed in.

"Ellie? What's wrong, you look worried." I shook my head, rushing out of the elevator and down the stairs. Agent Coulson stopped her on the way out, but I continued my way to the car, shoving my hands in my pockets. But as I reached the car, someone covered up my mouth, chloroforming me. I struggled, and kicked, but then someone held something up to my ear, and the noise did something to my nerves, paralyzing me.

"I'm sorry, Ellie, but I can't let you take that back to your dad. Actually, I could use your help. Do you mind?" I looked over at Obadiah as he smiled at me, and a guard put me in the backseat of a different car, driving away.


	7. Chapter 7

I stared as the engineers attached something to me. My ears were still bleeding, and I could feel it start to wear off, but it would be a little while longer until it wore off completely.

"I'm sorry, Ellie, I wish I didn't have to do this. But I do. If you're anything like your father, then you're just as selfish as he is, and you wouldn't let us anywhere near that technology he created. It would've been nice to keep the Stark Legacy going, but I'm afraid I'll have to end it." I felt tears roll down from my eyes, a whimper leave my mouth as my heart beat even faster in panic. Obadiah smiled again. "I'll tell Tony you said hello, okay sweetheart?" I fought with everything in me to move, to stop him, but he just walked back out that door, leaving me attached to something near the arc reactor in the factory. I felt the paralysis leave me just as quickly, and I stood up, looking at the thing attached to me.

I bit my lip, forcing back the tears and turned to the nearest reflection, taking a hankie from the nearest engineer and wiped the blood and tears away, before I stuck it back in his pocket. The engineer gave me a gross/weird look, and then they all left, leaving me there. I looked to the papers that Obadiah left there, and looked through them, my eyes going wide. I rushed into Section 16, and my eyes went even wider when I saw what was there.

A huge-and I mean _huge_ -suit. It was like the original model Dad had made, except bigger, with a lot of upgrades. I looked to the computer screens, taking a seat at the chair there, checking everything out. I smirked, when I noticed the one major problem Dad had with the old suit.

I frowned, when I heard my ringtone and shot right out of the chair, picking up.

"Hello?"

_"Ellie! Oh thank God, where are you?"_

"Pepper, you need to call Dad. Tell him Obadiah's got a suit, and he needs to call me." I hung up after that, staring at the suit. "Oh God. I'm gonna die." I laughed dryly, running a hand through my hair. "Either I'm going to explode, or an old man with a giant iron suit is going to kill me. What the hell even is my life."

 

* * *

 

I puckered my lip, looking up when Obadiah came back in. My eyes went wide, at the case he had. He smirked at me, opening it up for me to see. My eyes went even wider, and I clenched my fists.

Dad's arc reactor. He had Dad's lifeline. He could be dead for all I knew. He could be dying a slow and painful death right now, and I can't even be there for him.

This sick bastard was gonna get what was coming to him.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way, kiddo. I always did like you." He walked into Section 16, locking the door behind him. He probably had it set up so that I couldn't get in, even with my key. I perked up, when I saw headlights through the windows, and jumped up, hugging Pepper tightly when she walked in.

"Ellie." I bit my lip, forcing back the tears. She pulled away, staring at what was strapped to me with wide eyes. "Obadiah-"

"Where's Dad. Where is he, Pepper, is he okay? You need to go to the house, right now."

"Slow down. Slow down, Ellie, let me call Rhodey and tell him.” My eyes remained wide, and she cradled my face,  I don't know where your father is, but Rhodey's looking for him. All right?" I nodded, biting my lip harder. I wouldn't be okay until I knew that Dad was. "We have to get to Section 16."

"There's a suit. Obadiah, he made a suit, like Dad's original model but it's bigger. He took the reactor from Dad, he's probably got it powered up by now." I watched, as Agent Coulson went over to Section 16 with four of his men behind him. Pepper hugged me again, holding me tightly. "He took me here, he saw what I did in Dad's office. I'm so _stupid,_ I should've been more careful."

"This is not your fault. Elizibeth, look at me." I met Pepper's eyes. She held my face, forcing me to. "This isn't your fault. You did the right thing, getting that information. We wouldn't of known what was going on,and he could've killed you and your dad if you hadn't of gotten that information, do you understand?"

"I'm not two, Pepper, of course I understand. I just don't believe it." Pepper rubbed my arms, looking me over again to make sure I wasn't hurt.

"Let's just get you out of here."

"I can't. I've tried." Pepper frowned. "Whenever I go near the door, this thing shocks me. It's not a bomb, but too much of this can kill me. I have to stay here." Pepper slowly nodded.

"We'll get that thing off of you, and then we're gonna get you out of here." I nodded.

"Miss Stark. Could you come with us, please?" I turned to Agent Coulson, nodding again.

"Yeah. Right this way, fellas." I headed through the now destroyed door of Section 16, frowning when I noticed that the lights weren't on. "This makes it a little trickier, but I know where to go. You! Agent! Gimme a gun." I gestured to the other men, and one of them handed me an extra weapon. I walked carefully, gun at my side, and stopped right in front of the spot where the suit was before. "Shit." I muttered, checking the computers again. "It's fully powered. Obadiah took it and left, there isn't a tracking device. I don't know where it is."

"Well, it looks like you were right. He was making a suit. It looks like this is the prototype. Are you sure he didn't know about this all along?" I frowned, turning to Agent Coulson and his men. They were standing around another suit, and this one was the original.

"No, that's not a prototype. That's the original design, the first one my dad made back in Afghanistan." Agent Coulson raised his eyebrows, nodding when he looked at it again.

"Impressive." I smiled.

"He made it from a box of scraps. It's very impressive, Agent." I turned back to look at where the other suit was, squinting my eyes when I saw a light. "What the-" I screamed, aiming the gun right for the arc reactor but the bullet ended up in the suit. I stared at it, and rushed out, with some of the other agents on my tail, keeping me safe.

I booked it, stopping by the entrance, trying to catch my breath. I had to think of something-fast. My phone started blasting AC/DC, and I took it out as soon as it did. "Dad."

_"Where the hell are you, kid?"_

"I'm with the arc reactor. Obadiah's got a suit, he has the original design. I looked at the stats, and I think the things a little frosty."

_"What? Quit talking in code and tell me what you mean."_ I rolled my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"It doesn't like heights!" Dad paused, and as soon as he pieced it together he laughed.

_"That's my girl! I want you and Pepper out of there, right now."_ I bit my lip.

"Uh, yeah, about that...I kinda can't leave."

_"Of course you can, just walk out the door."_ I shook my head.

“No, I mean...I _can't_. Some of the engineers strapped something to me when they took me, it shocks me whenever I go near the exit." Dad started to panic. I hated hearing him panic.

_"You're kidding."_

"No, I'm not, sadly. And I don't know what this thing is, so I can't take it off. I don't know how it works, all I know is that too much of this can kill me.” I cut myself off, as Pepper came back in. My eyes went wide, and I ran towards her, almost dropping my phone. “PEPPER! Pepper, get out of here, go! I'll be fine, just get Coulson and his buddies and get out of here!"

"Ellie-"

"SHUT UP AND GO!" Pepper paused. She grabbed my shoulders, pulling me close.

"We're gonna go find someone to help you, Ellie. We're gonna get you out of this, I promise." I paused, but hugged her back, but dared not let the phone leave my hand.

"Go on and get out, Pepper. I'll be fine. Dad'll be here soon." She nodded, and didn't argue after that. She ran out of there, and got into a car, with Agent Coulson driving like a bat out of Hell. I watched and made sure they left before I brought the phone back to my ear. "She's gone. So are Agent Coulson and his men."

_"Just stay on the phone."_ I swallowed back the lump in my throat, watching as Obadiah climbed out of the ground outside the building.

"I'm not going anywhere, Dad, I promise. But could you hurry up?" I backed up into the railing, climbing over it hastily, trying to get as far away as possible. The closer Obadiah got, the more I panicked. "Dad. Obadiah is getting way too close to the door." My heart was pounding a mile a minute. If Obadiah didn't kill me now, I'm pretty sure I'd die of a heart attack. My eyes went wide, when he pointed his arm at me. I saw the bullets in there, and despite my fighting, a single tear rolled down my cheek. "Dad?"

"STANE!" My eyes went wide, and I screamed, as Dad smashed into him, throwing him into the factory. I listened through the phone as they smashed through some other stuff, and started fighting in the street. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, gripping the phone even tighter.

"I told you not to fly around the streets."

_"I made no such promise!"_ I laughed dryly, biting my lip, sniffing. _"Get that thing off, find the weak point."_ I nodded hastily, getting up and started looking through everything.

"Alright. I'm staying on the line, you stay with me, okay?"

_"Yeah, sure thing."_ I paused, looking at the designs in my hands, and looked down at the device, grabbing a pair of wire cutters that were laying there. I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Idiots.

"It always comes down to the red and blue, doesn't it?" I muttered, looking at the designs again, hovering the cutters over the blue.

_"What'd you find?"_ I frowned, at the screaming coming from his end.

"I have to cut a blue or red wire. One of them cuts off the main power source, and the other could make it run until the power source is drained. This is literally a life or death situation. I'm basically a companion right now." I grinned at the realization. I frowned, though, when I heard him yell and some tires squeal. "Did you just get run over?"

_"Ellie, focus. Does it say which one does which?"_

"No. No, it doesn't." I paused, hesitating. He felt the same way I did about chick flick moments, but if I made a mistake… "If I'm wrong-"

_"Don't go there."_ I sighed, staring down at the floor.

"I love you, Dad." He paused. I bit my lip, rubbing my face when another tear rolled down my cheek, laughing dryly. "Allons-y." And with that, I cut the wire. I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting an excruciatingly painful, never-ending shock. But instead, the buzzing stopped. I stared at the device, before I took it off, throwing it as far away from me as possible, screaming when it exploded near the doors.

_"ELLIE!"_

"I'm here! I'm okay, I'm fine, I swear! The thing exploded, it freaked me out. I'm fine."

_"WHAT THE HELL, YOU COULDN'T TELL ME?!"_ I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn’t know that the thing would explode. I’ll make sure to let you know next time." Dad sighed.

_"Jesus Christ."_ I rolled my eyes again, heading out the doors. _"Just get out of there."_

"You don't have to tell me twice." I rushed out the doors, and right up to a car, watching as Dad flew up into the sky. "Took you long enough."

_"Just get out of there, Ellie."_ I looked to the cars.

"Uh, there's just a tiny problem. I can't find their keys. And these cars are government property, I don't wanna be arrested for hot-wiring a government vehicle." Dad sighed again.

_"Alright then, just stay right where you are."_

"Okay, fine. Fine." I watched, and listened, as Dad's power was drained further and further, until he had to run on emergency backup power, and jumped when he landed on the roof.

_"Ellie."_ He grunted.

"Are you okay, it looked like you took a big spill."

_"I'm fine. I need to get out of this suit, it's almost out of power. I'll be right there."_

"Okay." I watched, as Obadiah landed there with him. My eyes went wide, when Obadiah got Dad in a vice grip, but Dad set off the flares, probably making him let go. He managed to get away, and a second later, he was whispering.

_"Ellie, this isn't working. I need you to overload the reactor and blast the roof."_ My eyes went even wider.

"But that means-"

_"I know what it means. I'll tell you when, okay?"_ I hesitated, staring at the ground. _"Bug?"_ I bit my lip, but nodded

"Okay."

_"Good girl. Go."_ I hung up the phone finally, shoving it in my pocket. I ran back into the building, opening up all the circuits and went over to the reactor, flipping the rest of the switches, staring at the major bypass button as I got to it. I looked up at the roof, meeting my dad's eyes, nodding curtly. I screamed, when the glass ceiling broke, shattering it almost entirely. My eyes went wide, when I saw that Dad was just hanging there.

"DAD!" I screamed, covering my head again when even more glass broke, but I looked up just as quickly, glad to see that he was still hanging there.

"How ironic, Tony! Trying to rid the world of weapons when you gave it its best one ever!" I swallowed the lump in my throat, pushing back the panic for later.

"ELLIE!" He could _not_ be serious.

"And now I'm gonna to kill you, and your daughter with it!" Obadiah sent off a missile, making me flinch. "You ripped out my targetting system!" Of course he did.

"Time to hit the button, El!" My eyes went wide.

"NO!"

"Hold still, you little prick." Obadiah tried to aim another shot, but missed terribly.

"ELLIE, NOW!"

"NO! I WON'T DO IT, NOT WHILE YOU'RE THERE!"

"JUST DO IT!" I bit my lip, but slapped the button, running out just as quickly. I watched, as the reactor shot a beam of light. Obadiah yelled from the roof, and I watched even closer as he fell through it, crashing into the arc reactor, causing a major explosion. My eyes went wide again.

"DAD!" I screamed, and my heart started pounding again. I felt like I couldn't breath, and the panic attack finally happened. "DAD!" I started at the building, coughing as the smoke flooded out of it, covering up my nose and mouth with the sleeve of my hoodie. The heat made my eyes water, as I looked for any sign of him. I felt cramped, trapped. I felt alone. "No." I muttered, leaning on a car, staring at the building as the alarms went off. The fire department would be here any minute. I just stared, biting my lip as I rubbed my face, trying to dry my eyes, and stop them from watering.

"Ellie!" I spun around, running up to Rhodey and Pepper.

"Dad's still up there! He, he told me to overload the reactor and blast the roof, but he was up there to! Obadiah fell through the roof and into the reactor, and the explosion got even bigger, and Dad couldn't of made that, and-" Pepper pulled me into an extremely tight hug, and I didn't think she was letting go soon. "Pepper, we have to get him! I have to get up there, I have to-" She shushed me, and squeezed me tighter.

"Rhodey's going to get him." I looked to see Rhodey going towards the roof, and Pepper kissed my head, rubbing my back. We both waited, anticipating the moment Rhodey would come down without him.

But Dad climbed down before Rhodey. I ran up and hugged him, and he held me tight, lifting me up in it.

“I thought you were gonna die.” My voice broke, and Dad shushed me, kissing my head.

“I’m not going anywhere, kid.” I held on tighter, and Dad picked me up. “You were so brave, princess. I’m so proud of you.”

“Please don’t scare me like that again, Dad.” He sighed, and nodded.

“Never again, baby. I promise.”


	8. Chapter 8

_"You've all received the official statement of what occurred at Stark Industries last night. There have been unconfirmed reports that a robotic prototype malfunctioned and caused damage to the arc reactor."_ I puckered my lip, nodding. Something like that. _"Fortunately, a member of Tony Stark's personal security staff..."_ I tuned it out after that, rolling my eyes as I spun back around in the chair, trying to fix up the suit.

"What're they calling him again, JARVS?"

 _Iron Man, miss._ I nodded slowly.

"Not bad, not bad. Hey, could you play ‘Radioactive’ by, uh...Imagine Dragons?"

 _Of course, miss._ I sat back, staring at the suit.

After what happened last night, I was kind of scared, to be honest. If Dad was stupid enough to announce that he was Iron Man-which he clearly will be doing-then I might be in even more danger. I had to be careful, very careful.

Despite Pepper's kind words, I was still blaming myself. It was my fault. She wouldn't admit it, but it was. It was my fault Dad got into this mess. If I hadn't of been so careless, none of this would've happened. If Dad hadn't of sent me in the first place, he probably wouldn't have been alone when Obadiah came for the reactor.

I didn't like where this Iron Man thing was going. In fact, it made me sick, thinking that Dad was going to be off saving the world, leaving me here to worry. If only I hadn't of encouraged him, if only I'd have been more like a normal teenager, maybe he wouldn't be doing this. I just couldn't help thinking what would be happening right now if Iron Man wouldn't have happened. I didn't want to be welcomed into this new age. I wanted everything back to the way it was.

 _"And now, Mister Stark has prepared a statement. He will not be taking any questions. Thank you."_ I looked up, staring at the television, pausing the music.

 _"Been a while since I've been in front of you. I figure I'll stick the cards this time."_ I rubbed my temples, knowing that he wouldn't. He cleared his throat before he spoke. _"There has been speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and the rooftop..."_

 _"I'm sorry, Mister Stark, but do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared, despite that fact that you..."_ I scoffed, laughing. It was the blonde who got told off by Pepper. Should've known.

 _"I know that it's confusing. It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I'm a superhero."_ I did a facepalm, rubbing my eyes.

_"I never said that you were a superhero."_

_"Didn't? Well, good, that would be outlandish and...fantastic."_ I put on the headgear, calling him despite the fact that he was busy. I heard the ringtone, and bit my lip, as the press snickered amongst themselves. _"Excuse me. I'm sorry, I have to take this, it's my daughter."_ He pulled out his phone, turning around so he wouldn't face the cameras. _"Ellie."_

"Don't. Don't even say it, or I _swear_ , I'll make that ringtone even worse."

 _"You should hear yours."_ I glared at the screen, where I could see the faint tellings of a smirk in his body language.

"Dad, please. Don't even go there. We're already in enough trouble as it is, hell, you put me under house arrest!"

 _"And for good reason, my dear princess."_ I sighed, rubbing my head again.

"Please. Don't say it."

 _"I have to go, Ellie, I'm in a press conference. I'll see you later."_ He hung up, turning back to the press.

 _"I'm not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made public and my daughter."_ Rhodey muttered something to him. _"Yeah, okay. Yeah. The truth is-"_ I stared, when he paused. He set the cards down, looking straight at the camera. _"I am Iron Man."_ I shut off the television, playing the music again. I turned to Dum-E.

"Get me a beer, Dum-E. And keep them coming. J, make sure he stops giving them to me when Dad gets home. As _soon_ as he pulls into the driveway, understand?"

 _Of course, Miss Stark. Wouldn't want him to know._ I took the beer from Dum-E, taking a swig before I set it down, staring at the suit. The lyrics rang throughout the shop.

 

_I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones_

_Enough to make my systems grow_

_Welcome to the new age, to the new age_

_Welcome to the new age, to the new age_


	9. Epilogue

I frowned, as the lights went out. I spun away from the computer, my brow furrowing when the elevator went up.

"J, is Dad home?"

_No, he's not miss. I should inform you that my systems have been overridden and that a man called Director Fury is on his way to you right now._

"Stop the lift, JARVS, and please inform Director Fury that I won't allow him down here. Company stuff."

 _Of course._ I got up from my seat, preventing entrance anywhere except for the main room for this Director Fury guy. I gained control of Jarvis again, storming up the stairs, raising a brow at the guy standing in the living room. He had an eye patch, and wore all black attire: army boots, leather coat, thigh holster. How was I supposed to believe that this guy is a Director? He looked more like a freaking pirate.

"Elizibeth Stark. I'm Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. I believe you've met Agent Coulson."

"Why in the hell did you override JARVIS? No, wait, _how_ did you override JARVIS?" Fury smirked, chuckling.

"I don't think you want to know." My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I'd like to talk to you about your mother, if you don't mind." My eyes started to grow wide, but I stopped them, crossing my arms.

"How do you know who my mom was."

"She was an agent. She worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., Ellie, and I'd like to tell you about something she was apart of, something your grandfather helped establish...because of you and your dad, actually." I raised an eyebrow.

"And that is?" He slapped a manilla folder on the table, which I looked down at, reading the title as he said it.

"The Avengers Initiative."

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this fic is mine. I own this fic on both Fanfic.net and here. I was hoping I'd find more success posting it here. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!


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